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In this episode of Brave Commerce, Eric Tarnowski, vice president of connected commerce at consumer health company Kenvue, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to offer insights into the complexities of change management and the strategic imperatives of connected commerce in the digital era.
The conversation begins with Tipograph and Hofstetter exploring the challenges of change management, highlighting the inherent resistance to change among individuals. They discuss the importance of overcommunication, aligning change with business strategy, incentivizing employees and fostering transparency to facilitate successful change management. These principles set the stage for Tarnowski’s insights into navigating change within Kenvue.
Tarnowski elaborates on Kenvue’s transition from Johnson & Johnson and the spinoff process, emphasizing the significance of trust, common purpose, shared consciousness and empowered execution in driving organizational change. Communication, he says, is pivotal to transparency, as well as alignment with business strategy and mobilizing teams toward a common goal.
Tarnowski traces his journey at Kenvue from technology and data management to his current role, noting his focus on digital transformation and ecommerce integration. He provides a detailed overview of Kenvue’s approach to connected commerce, emphasizing the convergence of marketing, sales and technology. He outlines the challenges of orchestrating cross-functional collaboration and the importance of outcome-based handoffs, trust-building and continuous improvement in driving organizational success.
Furthermore, Tarnowski illustrates Kenvue’s connected commerce strategy through a case study on a recent product launch. He highlights the coordinated efforts across branding, media, retail and consumer experience to drive business performance and consumer relevance. Throughout the interview, Tarnowski returns to the consumer-centric approach of Kenvue’s connected commerce model, emphasizing the importance of consumer insights, brand positioning and personalized experiences in driving engagement and loyalty.
Key takeaways:
- Foster transparency to manage resistance to change effectively.
- Place the consumer at the center of marketing strategies to drive relevance and engagement.
- Use data and analytics to gain insights, measure outcomes and drive strategic decision-making.
